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Post by Hervard on Mar 5, 2021 14:04:54 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 6, 2021
This week's presentation - March 13, 1982
Droppers: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD - BARRY MANILOW (21) - Unfortunately, Manilow was done hitting the Top 10 at this point. This song just missed the Top 20, which was too bad, since it was a great song! TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND - GEORGE BENSON (32) - As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits, but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. PHYSICAL - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (31) - This, of course, would end up as 1982's top song. It's not bad, but I much preferred her other song on the chart this week. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME - SHEENA EASTON (32) - The first of two Top 40 hits from her during 1982. This is my favorite of the two - a great song!
LW#3: I LOVE ROCK 'N ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS LW#2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY LW#1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND 40: FIND ANOTHER FOOL - QUARTERFLASH (debut) - Of their three Top 40 hits, this would probably be my least favorite. Still, not too bad. 39: DON'T LET HIM KNOW - PRISM (debut) - They reminded me a little of Loverboy (which is understandable, as both bands are Canadian). This was a really good song; too bad this was all the higher it got. 38: 867-5309/JENNY - TOMMY TUTONE (debut) - I wonder if anyone still has this phone number, and if they're still receiving nuisance calls from people asking for Jenny? Hope they have caller ID. Anyway, this was a good song. 37: ON THE WAY TO THE SKY - NEIL DIAMOND (40) - This was the second of three Top 40 hits from the album of the same title. I personally prefer the first hit, "Yesterday's Songs", which we heard on the last 1982 show. This one was a little dull. 36: DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - Rick had one number one on Billboard and the Radio & Records chart - only with different songs. "Jessie's Girl" was Rick's #1 on the Hot 100, but this was his song that topped the R&R chart, where it spent five weeks at #1. Both songs are among my favorite songs from Mr. Springfield 35: JUKE BOX HERO - FOREIGNER (39) - The follow up to the infamous Wf*gLY. I actually preferred the latter, as overplayed as it was, since I was never a huge fan of this one. 4 was indeed one of their most successful albums, but none of its singles were among my favorites from them. 34: TELL ME TOMORROW - SMOKEY ROBINSON (37) - At this point, Smokey Robinson was in second place, behind Frank Sinatra, for the most consecutive years with at least one Hot 100 hit. This was his 24th consecutive year and, although he would continue the streak for a few more years, he didn't quite match the record, as he was absent from the Hot 100 for three years before his 1987 comeback. As for my opinion of this song, it was a good one - was an R&B slow jam with a touch of smooth jazz. LDD: BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN – THE BABIES - It was a pleasant surprise to hear this song, especially since it looks like we're not going to hear it on any 1980 show this year, since it charted in March, for only three weeks. Anyway, even though I prefer their two Top 20 hits from the 1970s, I've come to like this song a lot better than I had previously. 33: I BELIEVE - CHILLIWACK (33) - I've heard this song many times on Volume 2 of Barry Scott's Lost 45's. It was a great song, though I personally preferred "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)", which, IIRC, was on Volume 1. OPTIONAL EXTRA: POP GOES THE MOVIES - MECO - This song was a medley of a random selection of different songs from the silver screen. I thought this was pretty good, although I didn't recognize all the songs (enough to connect them with their respective movies, that is). 32: MY GUY - SISTER SLEDGE (36) - This song was written by the man who sang song #34 (which he did not write BTW), and, of course, was a #1 hit for Mary Wells 1964. This was a very good cover and I'm not sure which of the two I prefer. 31: EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (JUST LIKE THE WHITE-WINGED DOVE) - STEVIE NICKS (38) - The third single from Nicks' first solo album, and, though it wasn't the highest peaking song from that album, it seems to be the one that gets the most recurrent airplay. I preferred "Leather And Lace", but this one was a good one as well. 30: (OH) PRETTY WOMAN - VAN HALEN (debut) - Of their three Top 40 hits up to this point, two were cover versions. This, of course, was a remake of Roy Orbison's #1 hit from 1964. This was a good rendition, but nothing compares to the original. EXTRA: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE – DEBBY BOONE - I'll get back to you on this one. 29: FREEZE-FRAME - THE J. GEILS BAND (34) - They were still in the midst of a #1 streak with "Centerfold". I wonder if the song would have spent more weeks on top had they held off a few weeks on the release of this song? Well, anyway, I wasn't a huge fan of this song; I preferred "Centerfold". 28: ONE HUNDRED WAYS - QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (29) - The third Top 40 hit from The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three. 27: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - ABBA (28) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits. 26: CALL ME - SKYY (26) - A song title that, by this point, had charted about six times. Since it looked like this could be the song's final week on the chart, Casey played drop pieces of each of the previous five. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the biggest one of them all, which topped the chart two years before. 25: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (18) - This was by far their biggest hit (as it was their only Top Ten, and it spent nearly three months in that zone). I liked this song - my second favorite of their charted hits, behind "Take Me To Heart". 24: DADDY'S HOME - CLIFF RICHARD (25) - Cover version of the classic Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard (two of which drop versions were played before this one), I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ME - CHARLENE - I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like this song, but know many who hate it with a passion - especially the spoken word bridge. I can see why that would be gag-inducing to some, but I personally don't mind it. 23: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (27) - Ah, the song that kicked off the career of possibly THE biggest group/band of the 1980s! It was indeed a great song - one that pops up every now and then on oldies stations. 22: TAKE OFF - BOB & DOUG McKENZIE (24) - My older brother was a big fan of this comedy duo back in the mid-80s - he and a buddy even did a skit for a talent show back in 1984 - was pretty funny, as was this song. Geddy Lee, of Rush, did a great job singing the chorus. 21: TONIGHT I'M YOURS - ROD STEWART (22) - This song definitely sounds a lot like "Young Turks", although I prefer the latter. This one is pretty good, too, but not his best by any means. EXTRA: FAMILY AFFAIR – SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - I'll get back to you on this one. 20: I CAN'T GO FOR THAT - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (7) - It didn't look like this song would hit #1, but it did manage to sneak in a week at the top. Though this song was certainly not their best, it was a good one. Is it me, or did they play the album version of the song this week? 19: SHOULD I DO IT - THE POINTER SISTERS (21) - They definitely had a retro sound in 1982, as both this song and "American Music" had a sixties sound to them. This was possibly my favorite of their hits that year. 18: CHARIOTS OF FIRE – VANGELIS (20) - Early in the countdown, there was a question letter about the song that took the longest to hit #1. At the time, there was a tie between two songs: “Hot Child In The City” by Nick Gilder and “Sad Eyes” by Robert John, both of which hit the top in their 21st weeks on the chart. Little did anyone know that this song was on its way to besting those two songs by one week! It was a great song - one I remember hearing all the time back in the spring of 1982. 17: MAKE A MOVE ON ME - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (19) - The week before, this song made a huge, 20-spot jump on the chart, but this week, it slams on the brakes and moves up a pair of notches. The song looked like it might be another Top Ten in a row for Olivia, but, even though the song did hit #1 on the R&R chart, it ran out of gas at #5. No matter; Olivia set a record with this song, becoming the female singer with the longest streak of years in the Top 40. This marked her tenth year (and the streak would extend to 13 in 1985). I believe that Madonna is the one who eventually broke the streak, but I could be wrong. 16: KEY LARGO - BERTIE HIGGINS (17) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982. 15: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (15) - This was my favorite of their crossover Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same. 14: BOBBIE SUE - THE OAK RIDGE BOYS (16) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Elvira" was barf-inducing, IMO. This song was actually pretty good, though. 13/LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS - IIRC, this was the first time that this song would be requested as a Long Distance Dedication. It certainly wouldn't be the last, though - this song, I believe, set the record for the most requested LDD during AT40's first run. It was indeed a great song - ideal for wedding anniversaries. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM MAGNUM PI - MIKE POST - Meco was good at doing movie songs while Mike Post excelled at TV show themes. This was one of several of those by him that hit the Top 40. I liked this one, but preferred a few others, like the "Hill Street Blues" theme, and "Theme from LA Law", the latter of which was a Top 20 AC hit six years later. 12: PAC-MAN FEVER - BUCKNER AND GARCIA (14) - Of course, I think I've mentioned numerous times that I drove my Dad and brother up the wall by playing this album ad nauseum. I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking. As for the song, it was definitely my theme, as I was obsessed with Pac Man back in the day. 11: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD - THE POLICE (12) - There are spirits eating your cereal? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot. 10: TAKE IT EASY ON ME - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (10) - This song was their sixth Top 40 hit. It would also be their last, though two of their hits after this didn't miss the Top Ten by much. This was one of my favorites from them, though my absolute favorite was "Lady", which we recently heard on the 70s version of the show. 9: LEADER OF THE BAND - DAN FOGELBERG (9) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I never used to like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed! 8: MIRROR, MIRROR - DIANA ROSS (8) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song. 7: WE GOT THE BEAT - THE GO-GO'S (11) - This song, the only song in this week's Top Ten that isn't standing still, leapfrogged the three above songs, which were sitting at their respective peaks. Interesting that, up to the week before, the Supremes were the only all-girl group to have a #1 album. I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them. 6: SWEET DREAMS - AIR SUPPLY (6) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites. 5: THAT GIRL - STEVIE WONDER (5) - This was a huge hit on the R&B chart, spending nine weeks on top there. It also looked like it might hit #1 on the Hot 100 at first, with how fast it was climbing the chart, but it ran out of steam before getting there (but, of course, he did end up hitting #1 in May with his duet with Paul McCartney). I liked this, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). 4: SHAKE IT UP - THE CARS (4) - Meh, not a big fan of this one at all. I did like the story Casey told about their appearance at a baseball stadium stopping a baseball game that kept going into extra innings because of a tied score. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T YOU WANT ME - HUMAN LEAGUE - This is a relatively rare example of when an act's biggest hit is also my favorite from them. The reason that's rare is mainly because, since it's the biggest hit, it gets tons of airplay, but this one has held up quite well despite that. 3: I LOVE ROCK N' ROLL - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (3) - Earlier, I posed a question about whether or not "Centerfold" would have spent more weeks at #1 had "Freeze Frame" been released a month or so later. Well, based on the super fast climb of this song, it looks like the answer would be no - this song would have hit #1 when it did regardless. Anyway, this is a song that has held up quite well despite overplay. 2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (2) - As this was in the midst of a seven-week run atop the Radio & Records chart, it held for another week at its peak on the Hot 100 in the runner-up position, where it would spend a total of six weeks. This used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past few years, I've found myself liking it again. 1: CENTERFOLD - THE J. GEILS BAND (1) - Here is one of the songs that was responsible in blocking Journey from the top spot on AT40. It was in its last of six weeks on top, and deservedly so, as it was by far their best hit ever! Another overplayed song that has held up nevertheless.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 5, 2021 14:05:06 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 6, 2021
This week's presentation - March 3, 1984
Droppers: SO BAD - PAUL McCARTNEY (37) - "Say Say Say" almost outlasted its follow-up, only it dropped out two weeks before. This song was pretty good, but I'm not sure why he chose to sing falsetto. I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES - ELTON JOHN (32) - A song that might be credited today as "Elton John featuring Stevie Wonder", as the latter does an awesome harmonica solo in this song! One of my favorites of Elton's 80s hits, although I don't like the way that they edited the song more often than not (or so it seemed). BREAK MY STRIDE - MATTHEW WILDER (29) - I wasn't a big fan of this song back in the day, but now I like it. PINK HOUSES - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - His second hit with his real last name tacked onto his stage name. A good song - possibly my favorite single from Uh Huh.
40: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (debut) - This, unfortunately, was their last Top Ten hit. It was a good one (I definitely like it much better than their other hit on this week's chart), but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point. 39: GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (debut) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his bandmate Phil Seymour, "Precious To Me" from exactly three years before. 38: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN (debut) - The title pretty much sums up my opinion of this song. 37: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - THE PRETENDERS (24) - They had a handful of songs that hit the Top 40. This one was pretty good, but I preferred "Brass In Pocket" and "Back On The Chain Gang". 36: COME BACK AND STAY - PAUL YOUNG (debut) - This English singer's first hit here in the States. The song was pretty good, but I preferred most of his later hits. 35: LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (40) - Her second of two Top 40 hits from her Two Of A Kind movie. Too bad this one didn't do as well as the first one, "Twist Of Fate", since it was my favorite of the two, as well as one of my favorite ONJ songs of all time! 34: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS (39) - A rare case where an act's biggest hit is my favorite by them. This song's overplay back in the day did not tarnish it at all! 33: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES (38) - The first of nine Top 40 hits for this man from Southampton, England. It was a good song - one of my favorites by him, but not quite as good as "No One Is To Blame". 32: RUNNER - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (36) - We heard him/them on the 1970s show this week and now we got their comeback Top 40 hit from seven years later. It was a good song - I believe I like both songs about the same. 31: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (35) - Of course, we all know what my three favorite songs by them is, but this song would possibly be my fourth favorite, as it was a great one as well! This one sounds a cross between "If I'd Been The One" and "Like No Other Night". OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - They definitely seemed to have the most chart success with Eric Woolfson on lead vocals. I liked this song, but I preferred a few of their other hits. 30: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - TINA TURNER (34) - Definitely one of the most successful comebacks of the 1980s, although this one, a remake of the biggest #1 R&B hit of the 1970s, was one of her lower charting hits. Her next hit, of course, would go all the way to the top. I liked this song, though it wasn't one of her best, IMO. 29: THE POLITICS OF DANCING - RE-FLEX (33) - For some reason, this song never did anything for me. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. 28: ALMOST OVER YOU - SHEENA EASTON (30) - I like her ballads best, as we all know, and this is possibly my favorite song from her ever. I felt this one was underrated, as it didn't get any higher than #25 on the Hot 100. It did fare much better at AC radio, peaking at #4 and spending half a year on that chart - not bad! LDD: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD - This song definitely got a lot of mileage in the LDD department, especially for a song that never even hit the Top 20. This one was from a girl with cancer to all her friends who stood by her and helped her through her ordeal. 27: THINK OF LAURA - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (18) - This song always brings tears to my eyes, as it always reminds me of a friend of mine that died back in the summer of 2009. The lyrics describe her perfectly - except that her name was Kelley, not Laura. 26: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT - LIONEL RICHIE (17) - The second single from possibly Richie's biggest album ever - it was much better than the first (like basically anything from him), but I preferred the next release, "Hello", which would hit #1 a few months later. 25: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (31) - The highest debut of the week was no surprise, as it was by the biggest duo of the 1980s. This song wasn't bad, but I prefer many others from them. 24: GIVE IT UP - KC (28) - His first (and only) hit without the Sunshine Band (well, unless you count his duet with Teri DeSario from 1980). It was a good song and, with all the airplay it got on the stations I listened to, it's a surprise it didn't get any higher than #18. 23: THIS WOMAN - KENNY ROGERS (25) - Kenny's second hit produced by the Bee Gees. The first one, "Islands In The Stream", of course, hit #1. This song got as high as #23 in March - I actually like this one better than his duet with Dolly Parton, as it wasn't quite as overplayed. 22: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (19) - They were more of an album act than anything, but had a handful of chart hits and this, of course, was their biggest, having topped the chart back in January. It was a good one - an 80s mix show essential! 21: AUTOMATIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (27) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACEY ULLMAN - I didn't know that this was a remake! Then again, it's probably because the original, by Kirsty MacColl, never charted - not here in the states, anyway. Anyway, I liked this song, which was Ullman's only Top 40 hit. 20: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - ROMANTICS (14) - I preferred their next hit "One In A Million", but this was a great one as well - like the Yes song (as well as several others on this week's show), this was an 80s mix show essential! 19: YAH MO B THERE - JAMES INGRAM w/MICHAEL McDONALD (20) - Kind of an odd title, but a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. 18: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE - DAN FOGELBERG (23) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him. 17: GOT A HOLD ON ME - CHRISTINE McVIE (21) - Her first solo hit ever, and it was a good one - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead. 16: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (22) - The leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed. 15: THAT'S ALL - GENESIS (11) - After a Top 20 hit, as well as several low-charters, Genesis finally netted their first Top Ten hit ever. The song was pretty good, but I preferred many others from them, along with many of Phil Collins' solo hits. 14: AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL (10) - Billy Joel has said that this was inspired by the music of Ben E. King, but the intro to this song is a dead ringer for that of "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt. Both are great songs and this is definitely one of my favorites from the album of the same title. 13: NEW MOON ON MONDAY - DURAN DURAN (16) - This was far and away my favorite of their 1984 hits. I'm glad that they played the song intact, instead of cutting the second verse (and second chorus) like they did several times during the song's chart run. 12: JOANNA - KOOL & THE GANG (6) - This song looked like it might become their second #1 hit, but didn't quite make it. Such a shame, because it was a great song - and an even bigger shame was the song that shut them out of #1. 11: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (15) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits, peaking at #4 in late March. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel" OPTIONAL EXTRA: LEAVE IT - YES - This, of course, was the follow-up to "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". They definitely promoted their album 90215 to pop more than they did with most of their albums, as it spawned three singles, two of which hit the Top 40. I preferred this over the first single (since the latter was quite overplayed). 10: I WANT A NEW DRUG - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (13) - A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. But seriously, this was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It", also from the Sports album. 9: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (8) - The only Top 40 hit for this freestyle and dance-pop music. It was OK, but nothing exceptional, IMO. 8: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER - POLICE (9) - Of the four singles from Synchronicity, this just might be my favorite, but I still prefer others from both the band and Sting solo. LDD: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS - Despite the cheese factor, I actually rather like this song. I don’t really remember hearing this song during either of its chart runs, in 1975 or 1977, but I heard it quite a lot on her Judith album, which my Dad listened to a lot back in the mid and late-70s. 7: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (12) - The fact that Michael Jackson sang the chorus of this song was definitely instrumental in the song doing as well as it did, as Rockwell's next hit, "Obscene Phone Caller", which didn't feature any big name artists, only got as high as #35. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as Jackson's other song in this week's countdown. 6: KARMA CHAMELEON - CULTURE CLUB (2) - This is the song that kept Kool & The Gang out of the top spot - definitely one of the cheesiest songs of 1984! Sorry, I just never got into this song. At least the song was edited this week. 5: NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON (7) - This was Lennon's third posthumous hit (and the fourth to peak after his death). I definitely prefer the Double Fantasy singles. 4: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON (5) - This song's single release had been delayed and by the time it was finally released and eligible to chart on the Hot 100, the song had had a head start in radio airplay, so it didn't get any higher than #4. This song set a record for the most Top 40 hits from a single album the week before when it hit the Top Ten like the previous six. As for the song, I definitely preferred the album version - the single edit doesn't have the Vincent Price narration near the end, so I'm not sure if this song would have hit #1 even if its single release had been a month earlier, when radio stations began playing this song - especially since virtually everyone had the Thriller album. In fact, the fact that the single was a different version from the one on the album might have been the reason that this song got as high as it did (for people who'd rather hear the song without the narration). 3: GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER (4) - This is the song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". OPTIONAL EXTRA: A FINE FINE DAY - TONY CAREY - The first of two songs that this man charted with in 1984. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs of 1984 - was #1 for many weeks on my Personal Top 30 chart. 2: 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (3) - This song just missed being the fourth song to be sung entirely in a foreign language to hit #1 (and it would further diversify the other three, which were all sung in different languages). AT40 generally played the German version of this song, like this week, but I believe that they played the English version twice, and played the hybrid version a few times as well, though I'm not sure how many and on which shows (one of them was the year-ender, I think). Anyway, of those three, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. 1: JUMP - VAN HALEN (1) - his was their very first Top Ten hit (second on R&R, as their first Top 40 hit, "Dance The Night Away" peaked at #10 there), and it would be their biggest hit ever, spending five weeks on top. The song was OK, but, as I mentioned earlier, it sounded more like a commercial or music for a sporting event - definitely not worthy of being such a big hit - and I'll never forgive it for beating out "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins as R&R's #1 song of 1984 (though the song did dethrone that annoying Culture Club hit, so it's not all bad). Anyway, I generally preferred the Van Hagar era, which kicked off two years later.
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 6, 2021 16:02:43 GMT -5
Tracey Ullman eventually got her own show on Fox-One of the regular features was "The Simpsons" which was launched on that same network in 1989.
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 7, 2021 10:40:40 GMT -5
Hervard,I definitely think the live version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" is way better than the version that appeared on the "Mc Cartney" album in 1970.
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Post by mga707 on Mar 7, 2021 11:26:54 GMT -5
Hervard,I definitely think the live version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" is way better than the version that appeared on the "Mc Cartney" album in 1970. I am of the opposite opinion. But then, as a rule I don't care for live recordings.
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Post by dth1971 on Mar 7, 2021 12:31:02 GMT -5
Tracey Ullman eventually got her own show on Fox-One of the regular features was "The Simpsons" which was launched on that same network in 1989. And the Simpsons cartoon on FOX is still going strong even in 2021! It was recently renewed up to Season 35!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 12, 2021 13:48:48 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 13, 2021
This week's presentation - March 4, 1978
Droppers: TOO HOT TA TROT – THE COMMODORES (37) - More of the same here. I have pointed out that their music began to improve with 1977's "Easy", but I still wasn't much for their funk/soul hits, like this one. I prefer their more "laid-back" songs. DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD – SANTA ESMERALDA (30) - An interesting disco rendition of the classic by the Animals. Coincidentally, both songs peaked at #15 on the Hot 100. THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - MECO (25) - The first of two versions of this song to chart in 1978. For the past few weeks, the songs were on the chart simultaneously, which was the second time that this happened with the two artists involved. The first time was in 1977, when John Williams & The London Symphony Orchestra was charting with the original theme from Star Wars at the same time as Meco was charting with his disco rendition. The latter more or less stole the thunder from the former, as it went to #1. This time around, the tables were turned, as #25 was all the further this version got while John Williams was up in the Top 20. I preferred this version, but both versions were pretty good, IMO. FFUN – CON FUNK SHUN (23) - Like “Flash Light”, this song blends in with all the soul/disco songs that were popular in the late 70s.
40: RUNNIN' ON EMPTY - JACKSON BROWNE (debut) - This song looked like it might become his second Top Ten hit, but it just narrowly missed. That's too bad, as it was IMO one of his best hits ever! (A small consolation is the fact that this song DID hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, peaking at #6). I remember this song quite well from back in the day! 39: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD (debut) - He didn't quite match the chart success of "Lonely Boy" with this one, but the song did become quite popular in the LDD department, until the mid-80s, when other songs like "That's What Friends Are For" came along and stole its thunder. Anyway, I liked both of Gold's Top 40 hits about the same - both of them were great! 38: NATIVE NEW YORKER - ODYSSEY (21) - This was their only Top 40 hit. They sounded a little like the Bee Gees, didn't they? As for the song itself, it was a good one - has sort of a jazzy feel to it. 37: LONG, LONG WAY FROM HOME - FOREIGNER (22) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as this song only got as high as #20, after the first two songs from their self-titled album hit the Top Ten. I definitely preferred said first two hits - this one was kinda just there. 36: LADY LOVE - LOU RAWLS (39) - He may have had more than two Top 40 hits, but this and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" are the only two songs that I've heard from him (that I know of, anyway). And, yes, both are great songs IMO and I'm unsure which is my favorite of the two. 35: BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT - GENE COTTON (debut) - Short, but sweet. This song's playing time was only two and a half minutes long, but what a great song it was - about a love affair that was ending and him advising her to make a clean break for it. 34: WHICH WAY IS UP - STARGARD (debut) - Why, it's the only way, according to songwriters George Jackson and Johnny Henderson. But seriously, this was pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... 33: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (38) - Another such song - pretty much blends in with all the soul/disco songs that were popular in the late 70s. 32: POOR POOR PITIFUL ME - LINDA RONSTADT (36) - I imagine this song did quite well on the country charts, since it definitely sounded country - even more than usual for Linda. It was a good song. 31: YOU'RE IN MY HEART - ROD STEWART (19) - This song did not quite make it to the top of the Hot 100, but it would become his second #1 on R&R - an exception to the rule of thumb about the Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever/RSO label that seemed to apply in early 1978. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites both back in the day and now. As is usually the case, they edited this one, jumping from the first verse to the second chorus. 30: GOODBYE GIRL - DAVID GATES (33) - This was the theme song from the Richard Dreyfuss movie of the same title. This was IMO just as great as many of his other songs that he did with Bread. 29: IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN (40) - This song was definitely on its way to #1 - of course I'm sure that the fact that it was from a hot movie soundtrack was somewhat instrumental in that, but it did have its own merits. It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne. EXTRA: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT - THE EAGLES - This was played as the first Optional Extra. The story to tie in with the song was how the band made it a point to walk through the crowd talking to their fans before their shows. As for the song, it was my favorite from their Greatest Hits album from 1975 - the first album that it ever appeared on. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe this is the only of the Eagles' Top 40 hits to feature Randy Meisner on lead vocals. 28: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (32) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyric near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny") As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them. 27: EBONY EYES - BOB WELCH (35) - Here's one of several "two-hit wonders" on this week's charts. Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "Sentimental Lady" and now he was on his way up with his second hit. I preferred "Sentimental Lady", but this was also a great song! 26: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (34) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 25: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEATWAVE (29) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two, of course, were disco songs that sounded very much alike). 24: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER (15) - This was pretty much the only song for the first few months of 1978 not connected with the Gibb family or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that managed to hit #1 (It was on the RSO label, though, so that may have helped). 23: OUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (31) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. This was one of her best hits of the 1970s, IMO. 22: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO - RITA COOLIDGE (26) - Like Rita Coolidge's hit earlier in the show, this song was an example of Third Single Syndrome - peaked at #20 after two Top Ten hits from her Anytime...Anywhere album. I preferred said Top Tens, but this was a great one as well. 21: FALLING - LeBLANC & CARR (28) - Their only Top 40 hit. The song peaked at #13, but spent over a half a year on the Hot 100, an unusually long term for a song that never hit the Top Ten. I liked this song a lot - too bad it didn't have a little more oomph in it so it would have hit the Top Ten. 20: WONDERFUL WORLD - ART GARFUNKEL W/ JAMES TAYLOR & PAUL SIMON (24) - One of two songs that Art and James collaborated on (the other one was in late 1993, when they recorded a cover version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain". I preferred that one, as well as the original of this by Sam Cooke. This song is a good one as well. 19: SHORT PEOPLE - RANDY NEWMAN (14) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that this song's meaning was misinterpreted, with many people thinking that it was poking fun at people who were short, but at the bridge, he says that short people are just the same as everyone else. I thought it was a great song. 18: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (20) - They had yet to hit the Top Ten, but they would do just that later in the year with their hit "Reminiscing". I generally liked their songs, but for some reason, this song, their third Top 40 hit, never really did anything for me. Definitely one of my least favorites from them. 17: CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU - BARRY MANILOW (27) - Many fans of Barry Manilow were thinking that this one might go all the way (Casey even said something to that effect a few weeks later), but it was not to be. As I said earlier, during the winter and spring of 1978, if you weren't the Bee Gees or involved with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or at least on the RSO label), you were pretty much SOL as far as hitting the top was concerned 16: THUNDER ISLAND - JAY FERGUSON (18) - The first of two Top 40 hits by this man from the San Ferdinando Valley. I'm sure I've heard his other hit, "Shakedown Cruise" before, but wtf did it sound like again? This was a good song that I vaguely remember hearing back in the day. 15: WHAT'S YOUR NAME - LYNYRD SKYNYRD (17) - A great classic rock group here! This one, as well as most of their others, gets tons of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today. This was one of my favorites from them. 14: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA (16) - I really liked many songs from Abba, but this wasn't one of them. One of my least favorite songs from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BOOGIE SHOES - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - Given the fact that this was from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, as well as who sang it, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #35. Not that I mind, as I was never a huge fan of this song - mediocre at best. 13: THEME FROM "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND" - JOHN WILLIAMS (13) - See my comment for the Meco version of this song, one of this week's droppers. 12: PEG - STEELY DAN (12) - As usual, they did an odd hack job with this song, by cutting out the second verse (or the second half of the first verse, if that's what you'd call it) and the first chorus. Truly, a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality, which, of course, was later on in the year. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from them of all time! 11: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN (7) - By now, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never just one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one - one of my all-time favorites by Queen! 10: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - THE BEE GEES (10) - This week, the Bee Gees broke the record for most weeks in the Top Ten with the same song. The record had been previously held by none other than brother Andy Gibb, who remained in the Top Ten for sixteen weeks with "Love Is Thicker Than Water". This record would stand for a little over fourteen years. This was my favorite of the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever hits, as well as one of my favorite songs from them of all time. 9: I GO CRAZY - PAUL DAVIS (11) - Ah yes, the slowest rising Top Ten hit of the rock era. The song, which never moved up more than three spots per week ever since it hit the Top 40, would peak at #7 two weeks later in its 30th week on the Hot 100 and would end up breaking the record for the longest run on the chart - an even 40 weeks! It was a good song, though he had a few others that I preferred. 8: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - BILLY JOEL (3) - The first of four releases from one of his best singles albums ever. I liked all four of the songs and, though "She's Always A Woman" was my favorite of those, the others, including this one, were great as well. Did they ever play the full album version of the song during its chart run? (I'm fairly sure I remember them playing that one as a LDD one time). 7: LAY DOWN SALLY - ERIC CLAPTON (9) - One of several Clapton songs featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World”, or the royally depressing "Tears In Heaven"... 6: DANCE, DANCE, DANCE (YOWSAH, YOWSAH, YOWSAH) - CHIC (6) - Meh, not a fan of this one, mostly since it is quite repetitive. I preferred other songs from them, especially "I Want Your Love" from the following year. 5: NIGHT FEVER - THE BEE GEES (8) - I already mentioned the record that the Bee Gees held at #10, but they were also part of another record - the most soundtrack hits in the Top 40 at the same time. There was the Yvonne Elliman song back at #29, and the Bee Gees had three in the Top Ten this week. All four of them had or would eventually hit #1 as well. Of the four hits, this was my least favorite, but it was still a good one. 4: EMOTION - SAMANTHA SANG (5) - Here is yet another song in which the Bee Gees were involved - Barry Gibb sang the backup vocal. That just might have been somewhat instrumental in how well it did. It was a good song. 3: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH - DAN HILL (4) - This is the only song in this week's Top Five that didn't involve any of the Gibbs, by an artist that seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, a title he held for nearly ten years, but the day was saved in the late summer of 1987, when his duet with Vonda Shepard "Can't We Try" came along and broke the curse. I preferred that song, as well as a few other Dan Hill songs, over this one, but it still is a good one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DISCO INFERNO - THE TRAMMPS - Yet another song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (although, like the KC & The Sunshine Band extra from earlier, the song was originally released from a different album a few years before). The re-release of both songs helped to place them on the charts and this one managed to peak at #11. As for the song, even though I generally don't care for faceless disco (as if you didn't already know that, LOL), this one is actually pretty good. 2: STAYIN' ALIVE - THE BEE GEES (1) - This song had held the top spot for the past four weeks, and with their latest hit "Night Fever" burning up the charts, one would think this song would fall relatively fast, but, oddly enough, after falling to #6 the previous week, this song got a second wind and moved back to #2, where it would hold for five more weeks. This was my second favorite song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack behind "How Deep Is Your Love". 1: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER - ANDY GIBB (2) - The second of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. This marked the first time that someone bumped a relative out of the top spot. And, at this point, it seemed pretty likely that it would happen back-to-back, from the same artists who were bumped out of #1 in the first place. Anyway, this wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing".
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Post by Hervard on Mar 12, 2021 14:18:03 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 13, 2021
This week's presentation - March 14, 1987
DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THE COMMUNARDS (40) - Too bad this song only spent a single week in the Top 40 (and since Charlie VanDyke hosted the March 7 show, we’ll likely never hear the song on this series). I remember playing this song at the local arcade, where I usually went at least once or twice each week back in the day. TALK TO ME - CHICO DeBARGE (39) - I liked "Who's Johnny" by El DeBarge a little better than this. But this one is a great song as well. I liked the phone call in the bridge, where he kept getting more and more anxious and then screamed, "PICK IT UP!" THE FACTS OF LOVE - JEFF LORBER f/KARYN WHITE (38) - The only Top 40 hit for Lorber, but such was not the case with Karyn White, as she'd have a very successful solo career in the late 1980s, as well as early 90s. This song only got as high as #27, which rather surprised me, as it was a typical mid/late-80s dance song. I wonder if it would have done better if released around 1989 or 1990, after Karyn White became an established artist. DON'T NEED A GUN - BILLY IDOL (37) - Kind of a surprise that this fell out, as it was on its way up the chart the week before, and it was still on the Radio & Records chart this week (albeit on the very bottom rung). Generally, songs would drop off that chart before or as they dropped off the Billboard Top 40. Anyway, I'm not generally a huge Billy Idol fan, but this one was actually pretty good. CHANGE OF HEART - CYNDI LAUPER (36) - Wow, there were lots of descending (or weakening) songs near the bottom of the chart the week before! Given how big a hit this was, I'm surprised that it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay anymore. Honestly; the last time I heard this outside of countdown shows was during its chart run. Too bad, as it was a great song - one of my favorites from her. STOP TO LOVE - LUTHER VANDROSS (30) - Definitely one of my favorite songs by Luther! You don't hear this one much anymore, so it always takes me back to early 1987. When I first heard this song, I thought that his previous hit, "Give Me The Reason" had done a turnabout on the chart, since both songs sound somewhat similar. NOBODY'S FOOL - CINDERELLA (26) - They definitely had several great power ballads. Not sure if I prefer this or "Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone", from the fall of the following year.
40: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (27) - Of all the hits she charted with in 1987, this would be my favorite! A great song indeed! 39: SKIN TRADE – DURAN DURAN (debut) - This was the first of seven debuts this week. Oddly enough, there would be seven debuts the following week as well. Unfortunately, this song, which moved up to #39 without a bullet, would drop out the following week. Too bad, as it was a great song. Seems that some of their best songs got the shaft, yet songs by them that I find annoying wasted no time hitting the Top Ten (“Is There Something I Should Know” and “The Reflex” come to mind). 38: DOMINOES – ROBBIE NEVIL (debut) - He'd charted early in the year with a hit that peaked in the runner-up position and at first, it looked like he might collect his second Top Ten hit, but this song ran out of steam at #14. Too bad, as this was my favorite of his 1987 hits. 37: STONE LOVE – KOOL & THE GANG (debut) - This song, like "Victory", would also hit the Top Ten, and, unfortunately, it turned out to be their last Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but my favorite of the Forever singles was "Special Way", which was a Top Ten AC hit in December of that year. 36: WE CONNECT – STACY Q (35) - Since this song was in holding pattern at #35 the week before, I figured that this might be one of the many droppers this week, but it did manage to hang in there for another week. This song got its world premiere on the sitcom The Facts Of Life. Unfortunately, that promotion didn't help much, as the song didn't climb any higher than #35. I liked this song much better than "Two Of Hearts". 35: SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES - PRINCE (debut) - This song was OK, but it was rather monotonous. Definitely not his best song by any means. 34: AT THIS MOMENT – BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (28) - This was another song I thought (and certainly hoped) might be another of the droppers (for the record, I was out of the room when Casey read the droppers when I first heard this show), but not only did it stay in the countdown, it took a rather small drop. And, as usual, they played the version of this meh-tastic song with Billy milking the last line for all it's worth, and the crowd egging him on. They should have had Carl Winslow (from Family Matters) there so he could have bellered, "OH WOULD YOU JUST GET TO THE END OF THE SONG??!!!!!!" Oh, and that line near the end, where he sang "if you stayed, I'd subtract twenty years from my life" - that makes no sense at all. What if he was going to live another fifteen or so years? She'd stay, but he'd be dead, thus defeating the whole purpose. OK, I'm done venting - next song, please... 33: THE HONEYTHIEF - HIPSWAY (debut) - The thing I remember most about this song was its catchy chorus (“The light of deep regret, let me see what I don’t get”). A great song that I felt was was quite underrated. 32: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET – THE BANGLES (debut) - The band sure had a thing about walking back in 1987, as illustrated by the titles of their two hits from that year. Anyway, you know that I prefer this over the other one, though I did prefer their first two hits from the Different Light album, but this one’s still a great song! 31: LOVE YOU DOWN – READY FOR THE WORLD (25) - After two upbeat dance hits, they slowed the tempo down for this one. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten. I preferred this one, as well as INOJ's 1997 cover of this song, over said upbeat songs. 30: THE FINER THINGS – STEVE WINWOOD (debut) - Back In The High Life was definitely Winwood's most successful album as far as singles go, as there were four of them that hit the Top 40. This was the third and there was no "Third Single Syndrome" here, as this was the second most successful song from the album behind the #1 "Higher Love". This was very possibly my favorite song from the album, though there are several other songs by him that I prefer. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHAT'S GOING ON - CYNDI LAUPER - As "Change Of Heart" stepped off the chart, her brand new song was debuting on the Hot 100. This, of course, was a cover version of Marvin Gaye's classic Top Ten hit from 1971, when Lauper was still in high school. I remember hating this song when it was on the charts. Now, I like it, even better than the original. 29: TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) – SAMANTHA FOX (21) - I liked her first two singles, (this and "Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)), but wasn't crazy about her next two Top 40 hits, which were pretty much the same song. She did, however, do a pretty decent cover Dusty Springfield's "I Only Wanna Be With You". 28: BALLERINA GIRL – LIONEL RICHIE (18) - Of the four singles from Dancing On The Ceiling, this was my favorite (though "Love Will Conquer All" was a close second). 27: AS WE LAY – SHIRLEY MURDOCK (33) - Ah, a song about infidelity. After spending the night with a mistress, this married man must go home and face his irate wife! Melodically, this song sounds a little like something from the sixties. I remember hearing this one a lot on B96 (WBBM in Chicago) a few weeks before it debuted on AT40. It was a good one, IMO. 26: THAT AIN’T LOVE – REO SPEEDWAGON (34) - The first Top 40 hit in about a year and a half for this band from Champaign, Illinois. As we all know, I prefer their power ballads, but this is possibly my favorite of their upbeat material. It is indeed a great song! 25: WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE – TINA TURNER (32) - Very interesting story about how Tina “knocked on opportunity’s door and when it wouldn’t open, she kicked it open”. I believe that Casey also told this story on the March 24, 1984 show, when her comeback hit “Let’s Stay Together” was on the chart. Though this song did get close to the Top Ten, I still felt it was quite underrated (namely, since it gets no recurrent airplay). Needless to say, I liked the song a lot. 24: MIDNIGHT BLUE – LOU GRAMM (29) - The first of three Top 40 solo hits for the lead singer of Foreigner. It was a good one, but I preferred the other two, both from his second solo album. 23: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) – ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (31) - A one time pairing of the Queen Of Soul and the former lead singer of Wham! - and a great pairing at that, since it went to #1 for a pair of weeks in late April. Definitely one of my favorites from both artists! 22: CANDY - CAMEO (22) - I was never a big fan of them, though this song wasn't too bad. 21: LET’S GO! – WANG CHUNG (24) - After having their first Top Ten hit (getting ever so close to #1), they were gearing up for their second. I preferred this song, though over the past few years, I've learned to like said first Top Ten hit (the one about wanking John) better than previously. 20: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (23) - Two members of the band Split Enz (which had a minor hit in 1980 called "I Got You") helped to form this band who had two Top Ten hits in 1987. I thought both were great songs, though I preferred their follow-up, "Something So Strong", which sounded sort of like a more upbeat version of this song. LDD: DON’T FORGET ME WHEN I’M GONE - GLASS TIGER - Of course, today, this song would be credited to Glass Tiger featuring Bryan Adams (as he is heard singing in the choruses). This was my favorite of their four Top 40 hits (though "I Will Be There", which charted the following spring, would be a fairly close second). OPTIONAL EXTRA: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS - CUTTING CREW - The first of three Top 40 hits for this band from London - all from their debut album Broadcast. This one was OK, but quite overplayed, both back in 1987 and nowadays on oldies stations. I preferred their other two hits. 19: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME - CHICAGO (11) - Their first Top 40 hit following the departure of their lead singer, Peter Cetera. Cetera's replacement was Jason Scheff, whom shared the lead vocals on this song with Bill Champlin. They both took turns singing lead on their songs and, since their voices sound so similar, I can never tell which one of them sang what. Anyway, I liked this song - one of my favorite post-Cetera songs from Chicago. 18: I’LL BE ALRIGHT WITHOUT YOU - JOURNEY (14) - This song is far and away my favorite single from Raised On Radio, and one of my all-time faves from Journey. 17: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - EUROPE (20) - The horns in this song reminded me a little of the intro to "Only Time Will Tell" by Asia. It was pretty good, but I preferred the other two Top 40 hits from the album of the same name. 16: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – THE GEORGIA SATELLITES (6) - It looked like this song was poised to hit #1 two weeks before, but it wasn't to be; the song at #1 was just too strong for it. The song wasn't too bad, but I'm not much for southern rock. 15: BRAND NEW LOVER – DEAD OR ALIVE (20) - This song was passable (and I preferred it over their other Top 40 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)"), but it was nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to either. 14: I WANNA GO BACK – EDDIE MONEY (17) - I can definitely relate to this song - going back to good times of the past. One his best songs ever IMO! This is a song that generally had the second verse edited out. Not sure if this was one of those times, as I was sleeping during this part of the show. 13: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSE (19) - I liked most of their hits, but this wasn't one of them! Definitely my least favorite single from the Exposure album. My favorite was the next release, which was a big summer hit. 12: TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT - GENESIS (16) - This song, which always makes me thirsty for an ice cold Michelob, was pretty good, but not one of my favorites from them. I especially hated the album version, which U93 started playing around this time - the instrumental bridge with those goofy sound effects, reminiscent of the background music in the old-school Donkey Kong Country games, drags on and on. Fortunately, I seldom hear that version anymore. 11: (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY) – BEASTIE BOYS (7) - Back in the day, I liked that song, because, being fifteen years old, I could definitely relate. My fascination for this song has dimmed significantly since then, though it's still not too bad. 10: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW - STARSHIP (13) - The theme to the comedy movie "Mannequin", which I saw in the theater about a month later. This was one of my favorite songs by Starship, though it wasn't quite as good as "It's Not Enough". OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LADY IN RED - CHRIS DeBURGH - Chris had charted a few times earlier in the 80s, but this is the song that put him on the map. I loved this song when it was on the chart, but the stations I listened to back in the day all but played it out and I became quite tired of it. It's good to hear every now and then, but I wouldn't want to hear it every day. 9: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (3) - Like Ready For The World, they put out a ballad after two upbeat dance songs (the only thing is, one of those just missed the Top 40 the previous summer). It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten. This, along with their AC hit from 1989, "The Same Love" are my two favorite songs from them - great songs indeed! 8: BIG TIME – PETER GABRIEL (8) - The first two singles from the So album are quite overplayed (especially "Sledgehammer"), but this one you hardly hear anymore. Perhaps that's why it's my favorite song from the album. 7: RESPECT YOURSELF – BRUCE WILLIS (7) - Today, this song would be listed as by Bruce Willis featuring the Pointer Sisters, especially since one of them sang the second verse, and were heard singing back-up throughout the song, which I thought was OK, but nothing exceptional. 6: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (9) - This was my favorite song from The Way It Is (though the other two were great as well). I was kind of surprised that they edited out the second verse, as the last hour of the show started off with #9. At least they didn't edit out the "Running down by the lakeshore..." bridge, as that is my favorite part of the song. 5: LEAN ON ME – CLUB NOUVEAU (12) - This was probably my least favorite song on the countdown back in the day, and naturally, it was the biggest mover of the week! It's still not one of my favorite songs, but its saving grace is that it's better than the insomnia-curing original by Bill Withers - definitely a "No. Just no" song in my book! LDD: AMERICAN PIE – DON McLEAN - Ah, so THAT'S why they edited Mandolin Rain, so they'd have room to play this song. They played the shortened version of the song (the one that they generally went with back when the song was on the charts), but still, they had to get in the LDD story. Anyway, this, of course, was the #1 song the day I was born, so it's very special to me (and I liked the song even before I knew that). 4: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (1) - Meh, not one of my favorites from them at all. I prefer their slower songs, like "Never Say Goodbye", which radio had just recently started playing. Too bad that was never released as a single; since prom and graduation were around the corner, that song might have been a #1 hit as well. This one was mediocre at best, IMO. 3: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (10) - This song put Janet in a tie with none other than her older brother Michael for the most Top Five hits from one album. Of the seven hits from Thriller, two of them didn't quite make the Top Five - "Human Nature" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". Of course, three years later, Janet broke her own record by scoring with seven Top Fives (as well as an eighth Top Five radio hit) from her Rhythm Nation album. Anyway, this was a great song with a great message about abstinence and my favorite of the Control singles. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TALK DIRTY TO ME - POISON - The breakthrough hit from this glam rock band from Pennsylvania did pretty well, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but wasn't quite my favorite song from them. 2: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE (FROM “AN AMERICAN TAIL”) – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (4) - I never saw the animated movie that this song is from, but I definitely heard the song many a time (we even sang it for our spring choir concert in my sophomore year in high school). I loved this song, like most of James' (and many of Linda's) songs. 1: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (2) - After nine weeks on the chart, this song finally reached the top rung of the chart. The third song from the album Fore! became their third #1 song overall. This has to be one of the least-played #1 songs of the 1980s, as, outside of countdown shows, you never really hear this song on the radio. I liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites from him.
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Post by at40nut on Mar 13, 2021 14:02:18 GMT -5
I have often debated between "Girl Can't Help It" and "I'll Be Alright Without You" on which is the better Journey single. As single versions go, I prefer "Girl Can't Help It", but if you listen to the Raised On Radio album, "I'll Be Alright Without You" is better as an album cut because you can hear more great guitar work from Neal Schoen. The only difference in the "Girl Can't Help It" album cut is that there's an extra "There's A Fire" line in it just before they start singing "Oooo there's a fire in his eyes for you".
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 14, 2021 18:25:17 GMT -5
I too am surprised that "Jacob's Ladder" doesn't receive recurrent airplay-It's an awesome song!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 19, 2021 12:48:06 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 20, 2021
This week's presentation - March 17, 1979
Droppers: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES (35) - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure; I just have never gotten into this song. SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW (32) - This song, originally recorded by Helen Reddy three years prior, had recently become Manilow's eighth Top Ten hit. Though I prefer Manilow's other "somewhere song", which peaked at #21 three years later, this was a good one as well. SONG ON THE RADIO - AL STEWART (29) - This song definitely bears resemblance to Carole King's Jazzman. It's a great song, though I slightly preferred "Time Passages". BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER (28) - The third and final single from Double Vision, as well as my favorite. NO TELL LOVER – CHICAGO (27) - Sort of a childish sounding title, but it apparently worked, as the song did well on the chart. Did even better on the AC chart, where it hit the Top Five. I like the song, but it's definitely not their best. HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET - GONZALEZ (27) - Meh, just another disco tune...
LW#3: TRAGEDY - BEE GEES LW#2: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART LW#1: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR 40: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (debut) - Ah, Cher's first comeback - the first of at least three. This was a great song, though I prefer a few of her songs from said comebacks (which happened in 1987 and 1998). 39: BUSTIN' LOOSE (PART 1) - CHUCK BROWN & THE SOUL SEARCHERS (debut) - Meh, this was typical roof-raising R&B. I think you know what I feel about this type of music, right? Wasn't this song featured in a commercial not too long ago? 38: DOG AND BUTTERFLY - HEART (debut) - Back in 1990, this one was occasionally played on Sunny 101.5 and for some reason, I didn't like it very much at all, but now I think it's one of their best! Too bad the song didn't climb any higher than #34. 37: SUPERMAN - HERBIE MANN (debut) - This song wasn't bad, despite the fact that it was disco (but it wasn't R&B, so...) 36: PRECIOUS LOVE - BOB WELCH (debut) - Though I preferred Welch's two Top 20 hits from the year before, this was a good one as well. Bummer that he left Fleetwood Mac right before they hit big. LDD: ALWAYS AND FOREVER - HEATWAVE - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two, of course, were disco songs that sounded very much alike). It fit the LDD like a glove as well. 35: CHASE (THEME FROM "MIDNIGHT EXPRESS") - GEORGIO BARODER (40) - The only Top 40 hit for this Italian music producer. It was a pretty good song. ARCHIVE: KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG - ROBERTA FLACK - One of three #1 songs from her and my favorite of the three by a fair margin. If my memory serves me correctly, this song was the longest running #1 song for the next three and a half years. Note: This is one of at least two shows in which the first hour left off at song #35. The other such show happened the following week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUBBER BISCUIT - BLUES BROTHERS - Meh, this song was mildly amusing, but also kind of annoying (especially the unintelligible refrain). In any case, I preferred their cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'" from the following summer. 34: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (31) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. I myself preferred his two remakes. BTW, wasn't this used in a TV commercial for potato chips back in the day? 33: HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER - SISTER SLEDGE (38) - A very jiggy song! Not sure if I prefer this or "We Are Family". 32: LIVING IT UP - BELL & JAMES (37) - An ideal song for the weekend! 31: EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE - EDDIE RABBITT (35) - I remember seeing this movie about 25 years ago and thought it was pretty good. As for the song, it's not bad, but definitely not Rabbitt's best hit ever. 30: I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RIGHT - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (34) - The second of four Top 40 hits for this singer from the Bronx. It was pretty good, but my favorite song from her would be "Love Come Down". 29: MAYBE I'M A FOOL - EDDIE MONEY (33) - The only Top 40 hit from Money's sophomore album Life For The Taking, but a great song it was! One of his all-time best! 28: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (39) - The follow-up to their monster smash, "Le Freak" which became the top song of the disco era, according to AT40's disco special aired that summer (and was still on the chart this week, continuing to live up to that honor). I'm not generally a big fan of them, but I actually liked this song. 27: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (17) - I used to like this song, but that annoying Geico ad from a few years ago that used this song has actually dimmed my fascination for this song. 26: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (debut) - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same. 25: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (13) - The bass line in this song reminds me a little of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions. Ironically, both songs' bass lines were used in two different Top 40 hits from 1991. This one was sampled, but I don't think that Mariah Carey sampled "Best Of My Love" for her song "Emotions", since it was a tad different. Anyway, I preferred this song over "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC, which, of course, was the song that sampled this song's bass line 24: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (12) - I have only heard three songs by her (four, if you count the song “Make A Little Magic” by the Dirt Band, on which she sang back-up), but I like all of them, including this one, which was probably my favorite. A great song indeed - sort of a blend of disco and MOR Pop. 23: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS (30) - I heard this song constantly back in 1979 and thought my parents had the radio tuned into the easy listening station. It wasn't until over ten years later when one of my fellow HS choir members was playing it on the piano and I casually asked what it was. When he told me the title, I recognized the title as being a Top 40 hit. I liked this song - the high piano notes indeed make it sound like a music box being set to disco. ARCHIVE: LOVE TRAIN - O'JAYS - This song actually interrupted the five-week run at the top by the Roberta Flack song heard earlier in the show. I'm not generally a big fan of the O'Jays, but this and their 1978 hit "Use Ta Be My Girl" are my two favorites from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: REUNITED - PEACHES & HERB - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. It is also my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time! 22: STUMBLIN' IN - SUZY QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN (25) - Pretty much your typical late-70s MOR type hit. It was a good one, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 21: FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS - NEIL DIAMOND (24) - This was a good song, but it sure didn't last long on the chart, did it? It climbed to #20 the following week and then dropped off the week after it peaked! Perhaps the Top 40 audience was still down on him for doing that awful duet with Barbra Streisand. 20: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (18) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. 19: CRAZY LOVE - POCO (23) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. 18: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (20) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second. 17: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMY STEWART (22) - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. As for the song, however, I'm not a big fan, though it is a disco classic that has indeed stood the test of time. 16: BIG SHOT - BILLY JOEL (21) - Based on this song's initial chart action, it looked like this might be a big Top Five like "My Life", but the song only got as high as #14 the following week and spent only six weeks in the Top 40. His next hit, "Honesty" hit a similar brick wall a few months later. Indeed, 52nd Street was a huge seller, but was definitely not his best singles album. 15: LE FREAK - CHIC (11) - As I mentioned earlier, this was the top song on AT40's disco special later in the year. I've actually learned to like this song better than I had previously, but still, it's far from "great song" status. 14: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (19) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them! I prefer the album version, which, in some AT40 rebroadcasts, is edited in, but not this week; the chopped down single version that leaves a lot to be desired was featured. 13: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS (16) - They had two Top 20 hits on the Hot 100, and this is my favorite of the two (though "Isn't It Time" is also a great one). 12: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (9) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course ARCHIVE: THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA - VICKY LAWRENCE - The sole Top 40 hit for this Inglewood, CA native. It was a good one, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROXANNE - THE POLICE - Meh, I don't really care for their 70s hit, which were more rock-based than their later hits. I actually prefer "Every Breath You Take" over this one, which says a lot. 11: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (14) - Her second of three Top Ten hits. This one is my favorite of those, though her first, "Midnight Blue" is a great one as well. 10: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (15) - This was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. 9: WITH A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (6) - She just came off of a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and started off 1979 quite well also, with another Top Five hit - one of her best! 8: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (10) - Their heyday was definitely the mid-80s, but their first hit was actually a few years earlier. Of their charted hits, this would be my favorite. I remember listening to their self-titled album all the time back in the day (in fact, I think the lyrics sheet still has my dirty fingerprints on it). 7: FIRE - POINTER SISTERS (4) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters. 6: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (8) - This song became their second #1 about a month later - and deservedly so, as it was my favorite song from them. Another good thing - the song was left intact this week (as they sometimes cut the second verse of the song). 5: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (7) - This was a comeback hit for the duo, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! 4: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER & BROOKLYN DREAMS (5) - As I've said before, "Love Never Felt So Good" by Justin Timberlake & Michael Jackson sounded a lot like this song, which was possibly my favorite of Donna Summer's many 1979 hits. 3: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (2) - This song had recently completed a four-week run at #1 on the Hot 100. It's not a bad song, but I'll never forgive it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979! OPTIONAL EXTRA: IN THE NAVY - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of their biggest hit, "Y.M.C.A." This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). 2: TRAGEDY - BEE GEES (3) - They were still on a hot streak with number one songs. This would become their fifth in a row the following week! This song, which IMO, was one of their best, also put the Bee Gees in a tie for fourth place with the Rolling Stones for the artist with the most #1 songs ever. Of course, they would move into fourth place by themselves three months later. 1: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (1) - The anthem for abused women was in its second of three non-consecutive weeks at #1 (she was nice enough to let the Bee Gees in for two weeks). This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 19, 2021 12:49:06 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 20, 2021
This week's presentation - March 21, 1981
LW#1: 9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON 40: TURN ME LOOSE - LOVERBOY (debut) - One of two Canadian bands on this week's chart (in the same hour, no less). This song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorites from Loverboy. It is, however, one of their songs that gets the most recurrent airplay nowadays, despite the fact that it came nowhere near the Top 30. 39: TOGETHER - TIERRA (34) - This was pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's slow jam. I liked it. 38: PASSION – ROD STEWART (33) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 37: SAME OLD LANG SYNE – DAN FOGELBERG (14) - Hmm, this must have been a slow week, as there are three songs in a row making small drops (two of which took pretty hefty falls the week before). Anyhoo, this song used to be played on the radio at any time of year, but now, it seems to be limited to the Christmas season, just because it mentions Christmas Eve at the beginning. This song, of course, tells the story about a chance meeting with an old flame on Christmas Eve, 1975. A great song, like most of Fogelberg's hits. 36: LIVING IN A FANTASY – LEO SAYER (23) - The final Top 40 hit for this Shoreham, England native. The song was pretty good, but I preferred several others from him. 35: DON’T STOP THE MUSIC – YARBROUGH AND PEOPLES (39) - Yes, please stop the music - especially this one, because it’s quite annoying! Those high-pitched voices that say “You don’t really wanna stop...” sounded a lot like the submarine crew out on the sea in the Zelda: Wind Waker game (although the bridge with that part was edited out). 34: AIN’T EVEN DONE WITH THE NIGHT – JOHN COUGAR (40) - This one had fallen into obscurity until about 15-20 years ago, when it began being played on 80s stations. It's a good song, though not quite his best. 33: SMOKEY MOUNTAIN RAIN – RONNIE MILSAP (25) - Milsap was hot on the country chart, but up to now, he'd been a one-hit wonder at Top 40 radio. But things were starting to happen for him there at this point, as he'd have a handful of Top 40 hits, including a Top Ten, which was his next release. As for this song, it was a good one, though I preferred a few others from him. 32: JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME – APRIL WINE (36) - Here is that other Canadian act that I mentioned earlier. This band from Montreal charted with a pair of hits in the 1970s, both of which peaked in the 30s. This was April Wine's biggest hit in the States, peaking at #21 (in April, no less). This is a song that I remember from back in the day. It was a great song, IMO. ARCHIVE: LEADER OF THE PACK – THE SHANGRA-LAS - I remember this song was parodied on Sesame Street into a song called “One Way”. I like both songs. But why did they cut the line “One day my Dad said to find someone new”? I don’t find that the least bit controversial. Well, regardless of that, it's still a cool song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS - STYX - Their second Top Ten hit from the Paradise Theater album (the number one album on Billboard's first Rock Album chart). Even though I prefer the first of those, "The Best Of Times", this is also a good one - a song I learned to like a little better over the years (since I used to think it was mediocre). 31: BEING WITH YOU – SMOKEY ROBINSON (debut) - This song was mediocre at best. I preferred much of his earlier material, including hits with the Miracles. 30: GIVING IT UP FOR YOUR LOVE – DELBERT McCLINTON (13) - For some reason, I was never a fan of this song. 29: HER TOWN TOO – JAMES TAYLOR & J.D. SOUTHER (38) - A one-time collaboration that saved the second artist from the dreaded "one hit wonder" title. It was a great song - too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten. 28: GUITAR MAN – ELVIS PRESLEY (30) - Presley's third posthumous Top 40 hit. Not one of my favorite songs from him by any means, but it was okies. 27: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (15) - They were definitely a hot item in the early 1980s - had the top song of 1980, and two #1 songs in early 1981. Of their four number one songs, this was possibly my least favorite, though it wasn't bad. 26: ANGEL OF THE MORNING – JUICE NEWTON (31) - This successful country artist crossed over to Pop with this one. I like it, but preferred most of her other Top 40 hits. 25: SOMEBODY’S KNOCKIN’ – TERRI GIBBS (28) - Another country artist who crossed over to the Pop charts in 1981, though this ended up being her only Top 40 hit, which was a great one, IMO - has a very haunting melody. Too bad it didn’t hit the Top Ten. 24: PRECIOUS TO ME – PHIL SEYMOUR (26) - He first appeared in the Top 40 as part of the Dwight Twilley Band, and this week, he was on the rise with his first and only solo hit. I first heard this song on American Top 40 Flashback in 2001 (on this very show, no less) and instantly loved it. IMO, the song was quite underrated, as it only got as high as #22. Nevertheless, I have heard this song many times, as it is on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD that I got for Christmas in 2002 and have listened to so much that I'm surprised I haven't worn it out, LOL! 23: JUST THE TWO OF US – GROVER WASHINGTON JR. f/BILL WITHERS (27) - This song was on its way to spending a pair of weeks atop the R&R chart. It almost made it here on the Hot 100, but just barely fell short. It was a great song - kind of reminds me of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon. LDD: THE MORE I SEE YOU – CHRIS MONTEZ - Your typical mid-60s song. Not bad. 22: I CAN’T STAND IT – ERIC CLAPTON AND HIS BAND (29) - I believe this was his only Top 40 hit that credited "his band". The song is not quite my favorite from him, but there are several songs that I prefer this over ("Tears In Heaven" comes to mind). ARCHIVE: RINGO – LORNE GREEN - A spoken word story song. It was OK, but nothing special. I mainly remember Lorne Greene from TV commercials. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE IT ON THE RUN - REO SPEEDWAGON - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first one, it was a power ballad. I love both songs but slightly prefer this one. 21: MORNING TRAIN – SHEENA EASTON (24) - I used to like this song a lot, but now it is, in fact, one of my least favorite songs from her. Not sure why; I guess I just got tired of it. 20: FADE AWAY – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (20) - This was the second single from The River. It was pretty good, but I preferred "Hungry Heart", as well as many of his later songs. 19: HEARTS ON FIRE – RANDY MEISNER (19) - After leaving the Eagles in 1977 and trying to have fun in retirement for several months, Randy got a solo career going. His first solo album didn't fare well at all, but his second one yielded two Top 40 hits. This one was the second and slightly more successful of those, peaking here at #19. It was a great song, IMO, and one I've heard many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD, though I still haven't figured out who that is singing back-up in the choruses. 18: TREAT ME RIGHT – PAT BENATAR (18) - The third single from Crimes Of Passion, and, though it did not hit the Top Ten like the second one, it did hit the Top 20, peaking this week at #18. This was a great song - one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs ever! 17: A LITTLE IN LOVE – CLIFF RICHARD (17) - He'd on the chart in two forms earlier in the year - in a duet with Olivia Newton-John and on this song as a solo artist. This song appeared to have peaked at #19, as it had held at that position the week before, but the song seemed to get a second wind this week. However, this was where the song peaked. The song fared much better on the R&R chart, peaking at #5. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Cliff Richard. 16: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (16) - Wow, five songs in a row holding at their peak positions. That's got to be some kind of record, especially since each of the songs are at their second week in their peak. Anyway, this was their last Top 40 hit before Eric Woolfson took over as lead singer. On this one, Lenny Zakatek provided the lead vocals. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I generally preferred the Woolfson-lead songs, such was apparently the case with the fans, as those were the songs that did the best on the charts. 15: DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME – THE POLICE (22) - They had their first Top Ten hit ever earlier in the year and this song would matched its peak position about a month later. Of their three big 1981 hits, this one was definitely my favorite. 14: WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE – STEVE WINWOOD (21) - He was the lead singer of the Spencer Davis group back in the 1960s, but he would have much more chart success as a solo artist in the 1980s. This was his first solo hit and it peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 (and even managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart). This was possibly my all-time favorite song from him. 13: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG (10) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner back in 1981. 12: KISS ON MY LIST – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (14) - 1981 was definitely a great year for them, as they had two #1 hits, as well as two Top Five hits, one of which went on to hit #1 in early 1982. Of those four songs, this was definitely my favorite. 11: I AIN’T GONNA STAND FOR IT – STEVIE WONDER (11) - This song had sort of a jazz flavor to it. It's a good one, but I slightly preferred his previous song, "Master Blaster". ARCHIVE: MR. LONELY – BOBBY VINTON - This one was rather cheesy, but I tell you what - I'd rather listen to it than Akon's annoying sped-up version of the song back in 2005. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I MISSED AGAIN - PHIL COLLINS - Phil's first solo hit, which, to this day, I just can't believe he didn't include on his HITS album, given what a landmark song it was. It was a great one, too - one of my favorite of his solo hits. 10: WHAT KIND OF FOOL – BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (12) - As I've mentioned many times, this was by far my favorite of their two duets. I liked how the other Bee Gees sing back-up throughout the song, especially during the final choruses. 9: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (5) - This was Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, having recently spent a pair of weeks at the top, and deservedly so, as it was one of his best songs IMO. 8: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (8) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" were my two favorites from them. LDD: BABE - STYX - A very unusual LDD, as it was from a girl in Sacramento to her Raggedy Andy doll. The LDD starts off very similarly to the “Dead Dog Dedication”. But then it quickly gets very mushy. Apparently, the doll really meant a lot to the girl (after all, merely being with him helped her through her problems during her childhood). 7: HELLO AGAIN – NEIL DIAMOND (9) - This song, Neil's second of three hits from the Jazz Singer, would go on to peak at #6 in late March. I liked all three of the Jazz Singer singles, but my favorite was "Love On The Rocks". 6: RAPTURE - BLONDIE (7) - I mentioned earlier that they had three number ones in the 1980s. All three of them, as well as their first #1 in 1979, were musically diverse, covering genres like disco, new wave, reggae, and even rap, which was the case with this song, which would hit the top the following week. This was possibly my favorite of the four. If I'm not mistaken, I believe they played the album version of this song. 5: CRYING – DON McLEAN (6) - You could definitely tell that this was a Roy Orbison song (as it sounded a great deal like "Blue Bayou"). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by McLean, right up there with "American Pie" and "Vincent". 4: 9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON (1) - Dolly Parton's first pop hit, "Here You Come Again" peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. When Eddie Rabbitt's latest had bumped this out of the top spot two weeks before, it looked like that was it for this song, but the week before, the song made an encore appearance the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites from her. 3: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (4) - This was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though, as I have mentioned before, I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIVING INSIDE MYSELF - GINO VANELLI - Two weeks later, this Montreal native, would join his fellow Canadian acts April Wine and Loverboy on the chart, making for a hat trick. Anyway, this song, about a good way to save money on rent, is my favorite of Vanelli's two Top Ten hits. 2: WOMAN – JOHN LENNON (3) - This song had recently spent a month at #1 on the R&R chart but, oddly enough, was just now reaching its peak on the Hot 100. The song was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. It is my second favorite song from Double Fantasy behind that song. 1: KEEP ON LOVING YOU – REO SPEEDWAGON (2) - I believe this would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" (which we'll be hearing on this week's "B" show) may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 19, 2021 12:49:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 20, 2021
This week's presentation - March 23, 1985
Droppers: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (39) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little like this song, IMO. METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (37) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern" MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (31) - I'd long since grown tired of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer). LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (20) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but the song at #1 was too strong for it. Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs. THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (19) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay). old man SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (17) - WHAT?? Three songs falling out of the survey from inside the Top 20?? I thought this was 1985, not 1982. Well, anyway, I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade over her naughty songs like this.
40: SECOND NATURE - DAN HARTMAN (debut) - The movie Streets Of Fire brought him back to the charts the year before with what became his biggest hit ever, "I Can Dream About You". This song, however, couldn't push past #39, which is too bad, because it was a great song IMO. 39: RADIOACTIVE - THE FIRM (40) - The only Top 40 hit for this British supergroup, consisting of members of various bands such as Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Manfred Mann. The song was OK, but I wasn't a huge fan. 38: LUCKY - GREG KIHN (debut) - He had two Top 20 hits with his band, but couldn't seem to cut it as a solo artist, as this, his only solo Top 40 hit, barely made it into the Top 30. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred "Jeopardy". 37: THAT WAS YESTERDAY - FOREIGNER (debut) - The second hit from Agent Provacateur, it was looking like it would be another Top Ten hit, but it fell short, peaking at #12. It did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart and was played regularly on the stations I listened to (especially U93, which played it well into the summer). It was easily my favorite of their two 1985 hits, as well as possibly my favorite song from them of all time! 36: (DON'T YOU) FORGET ABOUT ME - SIMPLE MINDS (debut) - Their first four hits sounded very much alike, IMO. This was my least favorite of the four (probably since it was way overplayed). I do like the movie from which it came, The Breakfast Club. 35: ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK - MURRAY HEAD (debut) - As usual, this song started out with the classical prelude, which I liked. The song itself is pretty good too, although it was quite overplayed back in the day! They usually edited this one (heavily at times), but they seemed to play the song intact. 34: WHY CAN'T I HAVE YOU - THE CARS (35) - The first four singles from Heartbeat City made it into the Top 20, but, now that just about all fans of the Cars had the album (I imagine many got it as a Christmas gift), this was all the further the song got. I liked the song, but it definitely was not their best. 33: EASY LOVER - PHILIP BAILEY AND PHIL COLLINS (22) - Phil had just released his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That album would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! 32: THIS IS NOT AMERICA - DAVID BOWIE AND THE PAT METHENY GROUP (34) - This was the theme from the spy drama film The Falcon And The Snowman. I've never seen the film, since that genre isn't really my cup of tea, but I do remember this song, though I never really heard it outside of countdown shows. Bowie seemed to be trying to make a comeback after a year and a half away from the charts, but this was where the song peaked (no matter; he'd have much more success with his collaboration with Mick Jagger, "Dancing In The Street" that fall. This song was pretty good, though not quite as good as his hits from two years later. 31: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (29) - This song starts out like something Foreigner might do (note the chord similarity to "Feels Like The First Time", but then it really begins rocking out, sounding like a Ratt song. I liked this song, which turned out to be their only Top 40 hit. 30: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO (36) - A landmark single for them, as this was their last Top 40 hit before Peter Cetera left the band for a solo career. It was a pretty good song, though I preferred several others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FOREVER YOUNG - ALPHAVILLE - Wow, interesting choice for an extra! This one actually charted twice - first in the spring of 1985 (was debuting on the Hot 100 the same week as this show) and again in late 1988. It didn't hit the Top 40 either time, however. I've heard this song quite a lot, since it's on one of my homemade mix tapes that I often listen to when I go on a long car trip. It's a good one, of course (why else would I have it on tape, lol!) 29: ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE - DON HENLEY (38) - The second release from Building The Perfect Beast. It's my least favorite of the singles, however - for some reason, this song never did much for me. 28: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (27) - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO. LDD: TIMES OF YOUR LIFE - PAUL ANKA - This song is a tad on the cheesy side, but it's still not bad - very mellow and relaxing. The song did fit the LDD, about two best friends who spent the times of their life together - until the subject of the LDD passed away. 27: NEUTRON DANCE - THE POINTER SISTERS (12) - One of two songs from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's countdown. I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run. 26: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (15) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals. This was a great song, though I preferred their follow-up. 25: TAKE ME WITH U - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (30) - This was the fifth release from Purple Rain and the first song from the soundtrack to miss the Top Ten, which was really no big surprise, as the soundtrack sold millions of copies, so that means that most Prince fans had the soundtrack and, hence, there was no point in buying the single. I thought that this was a great song. 24: RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT - DeBARGE (33) - This song turned out to be their biggest hit ever, getting as high as #3 in May. It was a good one, but I preferred their next release, "Who's Holding Donna Now", which turned out to be their second best hit, peaking at #6. 23: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (13) - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh". 22: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (28) - The first of three Top 40 hits from this technopop band from Los Angeles. It was their biggest hit and I thought it was a decent song, but I preferred their other Top Ten hit, "Room To Move", from 1989. 21: WE ARE THE WORLD - USA FOR AFRICA (debut) - Wow, what a high debut! And this was its debut position on the entire Hot 100! But it was no surprise, as the song, well publicized beforehand, was a benefit song for famine relief in Ethiopia, like "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid, from a few months earlier. This song, however, went much further on the chart - it wasted absolutely no time hitting #1. It became the biggest selling hit of the 1980s. I did get a little tired of it, due to its excessive airplay, plus we sang it in choir for our spring concert that year, but I knew that it was for a good cause. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOME LIKE IT HOT - POWER STATION - One of several Duran Duran side projects. This song was OK, but I generally preferred Duran Duran, including their hit on this week's chart 20: CRAZY FOR YOU - MADONNA (32) - This song, from the movie Vision Quest was released while "Material Girl", from Madonna's Like A Virgin album, was still climbing the chart. This song would waste no time hitting the Top Ten and would eventually hit #1. In fact, as we all know, this song turned out to be the top song of 1985, according to Radio & Records, and deservedly so, as it was a great song! 19: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS (26) - The first of two tributes on this week's chart to Marvin Gaye, who had 24 Top 40 hits during the "Beatle Years", making him the biggest solo artist of that era. It was my favorite of the two. 18: KEEPING THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (21) - Interesting how Casey talked about how Joel referred to al relics from the 50s, including the clothes he used to wear back then, as well as other accessories. He does, however, omit one of those (namely, his old man's trojans). I never really paid much attention to the lyrics before. Anyway, it's also amazing that this song made the chart - after such a long gap following the last release from An Innocent Man, many people figured he was done releasing songs from the album, but he surprised everyone by putting out one last song from the album. 17: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (25) - He was still cranking out hit after hit from his Born In The USA album. This was the fourth one, which would peak at #6. It was a great song - one of my favorites from Born In The USA. 16: SAVE A PRAYER (LIVE VERSION) - DURAN DURAN (16) - Interesting that they went with the live version of the song, which some radio stations were playing, but most of them went with the studio version, which I preferred, although the live version was pretty good as well. Anyway, this is one of my favorite Duran Duran songs of all time, 15: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES (24) - The second of the two Marvin Gaye tributes on the chart this week, only this one also paid homage to Jackie Wilson, another R&B great who had also passed away in 1984. This song was OK, but the Commodores were just not the same without Lionel Richie. 14: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (23) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles released from it kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the second of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album. 13: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (18) - Of course, he had been singing lead with the Rolling Stones (who were still together and not done hitting the charts), but he had a few solo hits, including this, which was his biggest hit on his own (his biggest was his collaboration with David Bowie that fall, "Dancing In The Street"). 12: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM! (7) - We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart. Another good thing is that, the following Monday morning, I got to see the girl get paddled after a teacher heard her cussing me out just for saying hi to her. Ah, the joys of karma! 11: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (4) - At the beginning of the month, this song matched the #3 peak of the original by the Beach Boys just 20 years before. Based on the big move to third place, it looked like he might top that peak the following week but, in fact, the song started dropping the following week. Anyway, I liked this song - even slightly better than the original. 10: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (10) - THIS was UK's #1 song of 1984? *GROIN* OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALKING ON SUNSHINE - KATRINA & THE WAVES - This band had several Top 40 hits, but this is definitely their most memorable (as well as the only one that most people remember). It was my favorite of their hits, but the others were also great. 9: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (11) - Their first Top Ten hit since "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" exactly two years before (although lead singer Steve Perry had a Top Ten hit in the year between). From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song was peaking at #9 this week. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them. 8: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (14) - This Chicago band had recently come off of their first Top 40 hit in about two years, "I Can't Hold Back" (which was by far my favorite song from them). I also liked this follow-up song, which would peak at #8 the following week. 7: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (9) - he was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this, the title track from her current album, became her third consecutive Top Ten hit the week before. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer. 6: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (8) - Often regarded as a one-hit wonder, "Lovergirl" was actually Teena's second hit. Her first, "I Need Your Loving", peaked at #37 in early 1981. This song fared much better, reaching its peak this week at #4. This song is pretty good, though I do remember disliking this song during its chart run. 5: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (6) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. 4: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (2) - The other of the hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's chart, as well as the biggest, reaching its #2 peak this week. It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. LDD: LEADER OF THE BAND - DAN FOGELBERG - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I never used to like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed. It was also fitting for the dedication, which was from a girl named Debbie to her parents, in honor of their 35th wedding anniversary. 3: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (5) - This was the first single from Phil Collins' No Jacket Required album, which, as mentioned earlier, would spawn two more songs during 1985, and another in the spring of 1986. This was my favorite of those songs and it must have been a strong song, to be able to fend off "We Are The World" like it did its second week at #1. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEVER-ENDING STORY - LIMAHL - Of course we all know that this guy was the lead singer of Kajagoogoo, whose only hit "Too Shy" I think we know all too well I hate with a passion. This one, on the other hand, was a great song, although it was sort of weird that it hit the chart a year after the release of the movie of the same name, but I'm glad that it did! 2: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (3) - This song would hit #1 on the R&R chart the following week, and was looking like it may do the same on the Hot 100, but it had to settle for second place, as the Phil Collins record leapfrogged over it. This was my least favorite of her 1985 hits, but it was still a good one. 1: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (1) - Wow - both 80s shows featured this weekend had the same artist at #1, with their only two #1 hits. That could be a first! Anyway, here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This song, which was one of my all-time faves from them, was in the midst of a three-week run at #1, though, with more weeks in the Top Ten and Top 40, their 1981 hit #1 "Keep On Lovin' You", which spent a single week at #1, was their biggest hit (of course, the charts did not move as fast in 1981 as they did in 1985, so that may not be a fair comparison).
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Post by Hervard on Mar 19, 2021 17:05:56 GMT -5
I just noticed that, on page 333 (well, for now, anyway), there is a huge gap in posting. There was absolutely nothing between March 22 and April 8 and I know that I posted critiques between that time. Moreover, I've noticed a few other gaps around that time as well. Was there some kind of flame war after which a moderator might have deleted more posts than necessary?
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Post by Michael1973 on Mar 20, 2021 10:55:18 GMT -5
1: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (2) - After nine weeks on the chart, this song finally reached the top rung of the chart. The third song from the album Fore! became their third #1 song overall. This has to be one of the least-played #1 songs of the 1980s, as, outside of countdown shows, you never really hear this song on the radio. I liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites from him. Even 80s on 8 doesn't play this song, which to me is absurd. It's a #1 song by a core 80s artist that sounds very similar to his other hits that they do play. And they occasionally play far more obscure songs so there's no logic to it.
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